Tag Archives: band interviews

PiercingMetal Talks To Kamelot’s Roy Khan (8/19/2007)

In my introductory comments for the interview with guitarist Kamelot’s guitarist Thomas Youngblood, I mentioned how singer Roy Khan was supposed to join us. Unfortunately he was not at the venue until shortly before their set and one cannot expect the singer of the group to be able to sit and chit chat with that little time available before they hit the stage. We decided to do this right after the show and after Khan and company destroyed the sold-out room with an evening of killer music we found a secluded spot in the venues back halls to sit down and talk about the new album, the DVD as well as the night’s performance. The show was great and I was happy that Khan still wanted to talk with so little rest after walking offstage. We found some space away from the crowd of well wishers that had gathered backstage and pretty much ran the same exact questions by him. I had to admit that it was interesting getting another viewpoint on the very same topics so please read on for our full conversation.

kamelot logo, band logos, kamelot

PiercingMetal: It seems that we need to start this one off a little differently since we didn’t talk before and are now catching you just some twenty minutes after performing to a sold out show in NYC. What are your immediate thoughts on the show you just walked off the stage from?

Khan: It’s great, it really, really is. It’s been very special to us since the first time we played here because it’s New York and B.B. King’s is a legendary club and we always have a really good time here. There’s a little bit more people every time and it’s just nice to see that we are headed in the right direction.

PiercingMetal: Now I know you hit NY up in Poughkeepsie, at the Chance, are there any highlights from that show?

Khan: Uhm, that was a great show too, highlights it was just a good show but had its own moments. As each show ends you realize that. It’s different each time.
Continue reading PiercingMetal Talks To Kamelot’s Roy Khan (8/19/2007)

PiercingMetal Talk’s To Kamelot’s Thomas Youngblood (8/19/2007)

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My first exposure to the band Kamelot would be with their stellar release “The Black Halo” and since this was their fifth actual album I am still considered somewhat of a newbie to what they have been doing for Melodic Metal music for oh so many years. Despite this, I immediately became a fan with this album and in the three years that I have been following them – I have aimed to bring their adventures in music to these pages in terms of concert coverage and photography along with reviews of their music and interviews with the members of the group. Upon their return to New York City to support their newest album “Ghost Opera”, I had been scheduled to meet with both Roy Khan (their vocalist) and Thomas Youngblood (their guitarist) to discuss their recent travels and how this new music was being received, but all best laid plans don’t always turn out that way in the end. Scheduling issues and needing to run off to the venue for sound check caused Tom to be in one place while Roy the other, so Tom suggested we do the questions and when Roy arrived he could chime in. The idea was perfect and so we began in the back offices of B.B. King Blues Club as the musician and I caught up. Below is our entire conversation.

PiercingMetal: Once again we are finding the mighty Kamelot returning to NYC. I would like to welcome you back to the Big Apple. Now you guys played Poughkeepsie last night so could you please just tell us how that went.

Youngblood: Oh it was great and I think it was our second or third time there. It’s always been great even from the beginning, even in Port Richey which we’ve never played before. So there was more people this time around which is great and its nice to find this when we are supporting a new record.

PiercingMetal: When we first met, the band was touring for “The Black Halo”, an album that became a fast favorite in the Melodic Power Metal fan base. Now that you can look back on it’s release and the tour that supported it, I wonder if you ever thought it would receive such acclaim and be the Kamelot “band defining statement” that it ended up becoming?

Youngblood: It’s kind of hard to say because the same thing happened with “The Fourth Legacy” and the same thing happened even with the “Epica” record so we really don’t try to think about that sort of stuff and instead try to do the best that we can with each record and let the chips fall where they may so to speak. With every record there is something about it that we are proud about and it also depends on the fans. For instance if this was the first record that you bought by the band it might end up being your favorite because that is your first taste of that band and while you might go back and like some older stuff later on it will always tend to be that first album you tried remains your favorite.
Continue reading PiercingMetal Talk’s To Kamelot’s Thomas Youngblood (8/19/2007)

PiercingMetal Talks To Kamelot’s Roy Khan (11/21/2005)

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The Melodic Metal powerhouse Kamelot was finally going to be playing in New York City to support the release “The Black Halo”. Thanks to the folks at SPV Records I was able to sit down with lead singer Roy Khan for a few minutes before he was set to perform. I have to say that backstage interviews are both fun and stressful at the same time. Remember you are making the musician focus on something else when they are often trying to get into the performance head. Based on this I tried to keep the questions brief and topical as much as possible. Below is our transcribed conversation.

PiercingMetal: Roy welcome to New York, how long has it been since we have seen you here in terms of shows (at the moment I was unaware this was the first time).

Khan: Oh I’ve never played in New York before.

PiercingMetal: Well that makes sense for while I enjoy the music I wondered why I could not recall the Kamelot name after all the shows I have been attending. So let’s blast through some questions for the readers. The new album “The Black Halo” is one of the bands most polished and adventurous albums yet-how has the fan & critic reaction been to it so far?

Khan: It’s been outrageous – I mean really, really good and I don’t think I’ve seen one review that is like bad at all. Critical response has been really good and the fans have been praising it. I mean it that it has just been a blast. I’m kind of speechless when it comes to that part of it. I can just say its been really good.
Continue reading PiercingMetal Talks To Kamelot’s Roy Khan (11/21/2005)